Air Carriers Industry Terminology

“We’re rolling out A-CDM at our main hub to cut taxi-out times.” | “A-CDM data showed de-icing was the bottleneck, not ATC.” | “With A-CDM, airlines, ATC, and the airport share the same departure sequence.”

“The merger won’t close until the combined carrier gets a single AOC.” | “Our new AOC covers both passenger and cargo operations.” | “Regulators suspended the AOC pending safety audit results.”

“The 737 is AOG in DEN awaiting a hydraulic pump.” | “We initiated AOG logistics to overnight the part.” | “AOG events spike during winter operations.”

“Ancillaries per passenger rose 12% due to seat selection fees.” | “We’ll unbundle baggage to grow ancillary revenue.” | “Credit-card partnerships have become a major ancillary stream.”

“We increased ASMs 7% by adding capacity on transcons.” | “RASM and CASM both use ASMs as the denominator.” | “Shorter stage lengths can raise CASM for the same ASM growth.”

“ATC flow constraints lowered our OTP today.” | “We filed a different route to avoid ATC delays.” | “ATC slot restrictions impacted our bank.”

“Belly cargo yields are softening as widebody capacity returns.” | “We prioritize belly freight on the night banks.” | “Passenger schedule cuts reduced belly capacity to Asia.”

“Block time on ORD–LGA increased due to congestion.” | “Pilots are paid based on block hours.” | “We adjusted block to reflect longer taxi-out in winter.”

“We report lifecycle emissions in CO2e.” | “SAF reduces CO2e versus conventional Jet-A.” | “Our 2030 target is a 30% CO2e per RPK reduction.”

“Ex-fuel CASM was flat year over year.” | “Fleet upgauging helped lower CASM.” | “Rising ATC fees pushed CASM higher.”

“This flight is marketed by us but operated by our partner under a code share.” | “Code shares expand our network without adding metal.” | “We added a code share on the Rome route.”

“Optimized crew pairing cut our hotel costs 8%.” | “Pairings must respect duty time limits.” | “We built ETOPS-qualified pairings for the new route.”

“The EFB update added performance calculator v3.” | “We went paperless by moving charts to EFBs.” | “EFB connectivity enables real-time weather uplinks.”

“We’re certified for ETOPS 180 across the North Atlantic.” | “ETOPS alternates drive route planning.” | “Maintenance changes were needed for ETOPS approval.”

“Revenue management opened more ‘Y’ inventory.” | “Corporate contracts require ‘J’ and ‘C’ fare access.” | “The ‘O’ class promotion spiked bookings.”

“Miles will be earned based on dollars spent.” | “Elite tiers confer priority services and upgrades.” | “FFP partnerships drive alliance loyalty.”

“Common type ratings reduce training time.” | “A320-family commonality simplifies spares.” | “Common cabins drive service consistency.”

“As an FSC, we offer lounges and through-checked bags.” | “FSCs rely on hub-and-spoke networks.” | “Our FSC arm competes with LCCs on leisure routes.”

“We shifted some content to NDC to bypass GDS surcharges.” | “Corporate bookings still flow through the GDS.” | “Amadeus and Sabre are our primary GDS partners.”

“A new ground handler took over ramp at BCN.” | “Turn delays were due to slow ground handling.” | “We insourced ground handling at the hub.”

“We replaced diesel GPUs with electric GSE.” | “De-icer uptime is critical GSE in winter.” | “Standardizing GSE cuts maintenance costs.”

“Banked hubs boost connectivity.” | “The new spoke feeds our Atlantic bank.” | “We’re depeaking the hub to smooth operations.”

“We follow IATA’s slot guidelines.” | “IATA codes like LHR and AA are industry standards.” | “IATA BSP simplifies agency settlement.”

“Our SMS aligns with ICAO Annex 19.” | “ICAO sets PBN and ADS-B standards.” | “ICAO 3-letter airline codes differ from IATA’s 2-letter codes.”

“We’re moving to wireless IFE streaming.” | “New IFE includes seatback 4K screens.” | “IFE monetization includes paid Wi‑Fi.”

“Weather minima require IFR for the approach.” | “The aircraft filed IFR across the route.” | “IFR training is part of initial pilot qualification.”

“We interline bags with multiple partners.” | “Interline proration governs revenue split.” | “Without interline, misconnect recovery is harder.”

“The IOC coordinated recovery during the storm.” | “IOC dashboards track crew legality and aircraft status.” | “We consolidated dispatch and crew control into the IOC.”

“We layered swaps to hedge 50% of next year’s fuel.” | “Call options cap our jet fuel exposure.” | “Our hedge losses reversed as prices fell.”

“The LCC launched a fare war on the route.” | “Ancillary-driven LCC models keep base fares low.” | “Point-to-point networks are typical for LCCs.”

“Load factor hit 87% in Q2.” | “We traded load factor for yield to lift PRASM.” | “Schedule cuts improved load factor on off-peak days.”

“We need 45 minutes MCT for domestic-to-domestic.” | “Filed connections violated the MCT for T1–T3.” | “Shorter MCTs improve itinerary attractiveness.”

“NPS improved after we reconfigured seats.” | “OTP disruptions drove NPS down.” | “We tie bonuses to quarterly NPS targets.”

“Our A15 arrival OTP was 81%.” | “We’re targeting A0 departures for premium banks.” | “Turn discipline is key to OTP.”

“Open Skies enabled our fifth-freedom service.” | “The bilateral moved from restrictive to Open Skies.” | “Cargo operators benefit from Open Skies freedoms.”

“We overbook by forecasted no-shows to maximize load.” | “VDB offers cleared the oversell.” | “IDBs trigger compensation under DOT rules.”

“PAX boarded: 168; no-shows: 4.” | “PAX mix skewed to leisure this quarter.” | “PAX disruptions were mitigated with meal vouchers.”

“PRASM rose 3% on stronger yields.” | “We saw PRASM pressure in competitive markets.” | “Ancillary fares can lift PRASM indirectly.”

“Cargo strength boosted RASM.” | “RASM outpaced CASM, expanding margins.” | “Weak shoulder-season demand hit RASM.”

“O&D controls protected high-yield flows.” | “We raised fences to prevent dilution.” | “Dynamic pricing improved shoulder-day pickup.”

“RPKs grew 10% with international rebound.” | “Load factor = RPK/ASK.” | “RPKs lagged ASM growth on new routes.”

“We logged the hazard in the SMS.” | “Data from FOQA feeds our SMS risk assessments.” | “ICAO Annex 19 mandates SMS.”

“We added a midday bank to improve connectivity.” | “Bank structure drove peak gate demand.” | “Depeaked banks smoothed crew utilization.”

“We secured a slot pair at LHR.” | “The 80/20 use-it-or-lose-it rule was waived.” | “Slot coordination limits new entrants.”

“Longer stage lengths lower CASM.” | “Short stage lengths hurt fuel burn efficiency.” | “We matched gauge to stage length demand.”

“Tail swaps recovered the downline delay.” | “Maintenance constraints tightened tail assignment.” | “We optimized tail assignment to cut fuel burn.”

“We target a 35-minute TAT on 737s.” | “GSE availability is critical for TAT.” | “Better cleaning standards extended TAT by 3 minutes.”

“ULCCs rely heavily on ancillary revenues.” | “ULCC seat density raises ASMs per aircraft.” | “Secondary airports support the ULCC model.”

“Yield rose despite stable load factors.” | “We traded yield for share on the leisure route.” | “Business mix improves yield in the morning bank.”

“ZFW plus fuel must stay within MTOW.” | “Payload limits were hit at high ZFW.” | “We re-seated to adjust ZFW center of gravity.”